


I am Thou

by AddedOC



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Twins, Comedy, Crossdressing, Drama, Multi, Romance, twin protagonist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-06-14 17:14:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15393552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AddedOC/pseuds/AddedOC
Summary: Secrets, Suspense, Crossdressing!This is a twins protagonist AU (I haven't seen any on any site I frequent so I wrote my own)Akira Kurusu is given probation unjustly, his twin sister Ren decides that she will go through it for him. Three cups of sleeping pill laced tea and one long train ride later she appears in the cafe LeBlanch, ready to live a year wrapping her chest and keeping her hair carefully cut as she attends school as 'Akira'. What happens when her first day of school finds her in the castle of a perverted teacher? How about when the real Akira decides to check in on her to make sure she's okay? Read to find out!





	1. Day 0: The plan

“This is bullshit!” Akira jumped and turned his attention away from packing to stare at Ren with a confused quirk to his brow. “Mom and dad are sending you away for defending an innocent woman from a drunk?” Ren adjusted her glasses as a growl of anger imminated from her core. “It’s bullshit.” she mumbled after a long moment of silence where her twin brother simply stared at her awkwardly.

 

“They have no choice.” He said finally as he moved to sit beside her on his bed. “The courts ‘strongly suggested’ I have a ‘change of scenery’ in order to avoid me ‘lashing out.’” He made air quotations with his fingers so many times with just one sentence that she found herself snorting in response. She leaned against his arm and toyed with the ends of her shoulder length hair before letting out a long and angry sigh.

 

“It’s still not fair, you did nothing wrong Aki.” She complained softly as she closed her eyes. His arm was wrapped around her shoulder in an instant and his hand was settled on her hair.

 

“I will be okay.” He said softly as he turned to glance out of his bedroom door. “I don’t want you worrying about me when you have things to deal with here okay.” She snorted again, this time from the irony of his words. It was no secret to Ren that their parent’s used to have Akira on a pedestal before his trial, it was a surprise to her how quickly they changed their minds about their favorite child. She didn’t want to see her brother suffer because he was a good person, if anything she deserved what he was going through, she was the one who ignored their parent’s rules and managed to barely avoid being arrested after all.

 

A plan began to form in her mind, causing a devilish smirk to cross her lips.

 

“You should get some rest for tomorrow, I will go make you a cup of tea to help you relax okay?” She stood and made her way out of his room before he could react. In their kitchen she saw her parent’s sitting around the dining room table and pressed herself against the wall in order to listen in on them without being noticed.

 

“If only it were Ren, Akira has so much going for him.” Her mother was saying, causing a pang of guilt to shoot through her. It was true, if she had been in his place then her parents wouldn’t be going through the pain of losing their son, Akira wouldn’t be being torn from his home either.

 

“We can’t think about that for now, we have to keep our heads down and hope this all blows over in a year.” Her father, ever sensible, was calming her mother down the best he could. She clenched her fists at her sides as she lowered her head, her plan solidifying in her mind as she made her way to the cabinets to look through their collection of tea’s.

 

“Mom, Dad?” She called as she stepped into the dining room a few moments later with a tray of tea cups all steaming with their fresh brewed drinks, “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to stop him,” she began as she set their cups down before them and adjusted Akira’s cup to the center of the tray, “We should just enjoy the time we have, I promise that tomorrow will be better.” They didn’t even seem to hear her as they took the offered drinks and continued to talk amongst themselves. She was both expecting and counting on this as she made her way out of the room. The tray was dropped off in the kitchen and the last cup of tea was delivered to her brother before she closed herself off in her room to carry out preparations for her plan.

 

* * *

 

Short hair was uncomfortably cold when met with the chilly early april morning air. Ren discovered this as she lugged her brother’s bag to the train station. Her chest felt tight, the bindings around it making it harder for her to breathe than she thought they would. Her body shook as she pulled the blazer closer to herself. The hoodie she wore under it did nothing to stop the cold that seeped into her neck and cheeks.

 

It had only been a few hours, still she missed her long hair.

 

The warmth of the train that came from so many bodies packed so tightly together allowed her to relax a bit as she pulled Akira’s phone out of her pocket. His lock codes were always so easy to figure out and hers were consisted of numbers that she picked at random, so it was easy for her to switch their phones with no worries of him getting into hers. His home screen popped up after she punched in their birthday, a picture of the two of them in matching sweaters was covered by rows of apps his phone held. A message alert caught her eye and she read quickly through the thread. Their parent’s work friend had sent him the directions to a neighborhood and a name to ask around about. Sojiro Sakura was due to keep Akira for a year during his probation, a year which Ren would live through his probation for him.

 

Another message caused her to jump as the sender’s name popped up on the screen, it was a group message Akira did have between himself and their parents. That didn’t surprise her as much as the fact that they were awake just twenty minutes after the train for Tokyo carried her away.

 

**_Mom:_ **

_What the hell Ren!_

_You ran off and took his phone????_

_Get home now!_

 

She sighed and adjusted her glasses before replying to the text.

 

** _Akira:_ **

_He doesn’t deserve this mom,_

_I certainly do though._

_I will be back in the spring._

_Keep Aki safe and please don’t try to stop me._

 

**_Dad:_ **

_Ren why did you feel you had to drug us?_

 

**_Akira:_ **

_You wouldn’t let me do this otherwise._

_Look, I promise I won’t do anything to make Aki look bad,_

_I will even take my studies seriously while I’m gone._

_Just please let Aki live in peace._

 

No reply came for a long time, she was almost sure that her parents were piling into their suv to come after her when the phone chimed once again.

 

**_Dad:_ **

_Ren, it’s Akira._

_I spoke to mom and dad about this but are you sure this is what you want?_

 

**_Akira:_ **

_Absolutely._

 

**_Dad:_ **

_Okay._

**_Dad:_ **

_I can’t believe you took my phone though._

**_Dad:_ **

_That is commitment I guess._

**_Dad:_ **

_Thank you Ren, I don’t know how to express my gratitude._

 

**_Akira:_ **

_No worries, just keep your head up._

_A year isn’t that long so relax while you can._

 

**_Dad:_ **

_Be safe._

 

She wasn’t sure if it was Akira or her father who texted that but the feeling of warm tears slipping down her cheeks after reading it had her ducking her head as she replied.

 

**_Akira:_ **

_I love you._

 

She wiped her eyes and cleaned her glasses as she leaned back to glance out of the trains window. Already she was settled in for the long ride ahead. Her eyes slid closed as she rested her head against the window, the dull drone of conversations around her pulling her into a half sleep state.

 

“It’s happening in Tokyo right?” her right eye opened as two girls stepped a bit closer to her.

 

“Yeah! They say that its nearly an epidemic at this point.”

 

“I don’t want a mental shutdown, I hope they figure out what’s happening.” She rolled her eyes, as if

mental shutdowns were a major thing. Ren had heard of them, but had simply chalked them up to overworked people and long hours giving them little to no break in between.

 

“Oh you have a pic of Akechi-kun! He is so cute!” With that Ren closed her eye once again, the up and coming detective prince had nothing to do with her and she had no interest in him. She tucked her phone into her pocket as the girl’s conversation blended in to the others around her. All she had to focus on was making it through the year without being found out, and without causing a stir and bringing Akira’s name through the mud more than it already was. She could do this, she had to do this.

 

* * *

 

 

**Character Profiles (the twins)**

 

**Ren Kurusu**

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Codename: Joker

Arcana: Fool

Background: Ren was the least successful of the Kurusu twins. Following in her brother’s shadow was never her prerogative and she found herself labeled a trouble child in their small hometown. This set her apart from her twin as it became expected that she would be the one to bring her family problems. When Akira is the one who ultimately becomes arrested due to him being unable to simply sit back and watch a woman being attacked, she takes his place on probation. Going so far as to disguise herself as a male to live as Akira in Tokyo for a year so her brother could instead focus on himself and what he planned to do with his life after the probation period is over. She is one half of the Fool Arcana, without Akira her power can never be fully awakened.

Favorites:

Food: Maki Sushi

Color: Orange

Drink: Green Tea

Passtime: Video Games

* * *

 

**Akira Kurusu**

 

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Codename: Jester

Arcana: Fool

Background: The ‘golden child’ of the Kurusu twins. Akira held good grades and watched after his younger sister as they grew up in their small hometown. He had a bright future ahead of him until one night when he had to stay late at school and ran into a man harassing a young woman. In the mans drunken state he could not steady himself when Akira pulled him off of the woman and was hurt as a result. Akira was tried and convicted. Sentenced to a years probation and a dark mark on his name for the rest of his life. He was ready to shoulder the unfair burden himself, thankful in the fact that it was not his sister who was there that night, though Ren would not allow this and slipped sleeping drugs in his drink the night before he was due to leave for Tokyo. Ever the loving brother, he understood the motives behind her actions and chose to support her choice. However he couldn’t allow her to live alone without checking in on her himself, which is when he discovers he holds the second half to the Fool Arcana, and to the Persona known as Arsene.

Favorites:

Food: Curry Rice

Color: Red

Drink: Coffee

Passtime: Reading


	2. Day 1.1: April 11 20XX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren finds herself in a bit of a pickle when she follows a strange blonde boy the first day at her new school. But why does he take her to a weird castle, and is that really not a cat?

“Oh you’re up, good.” Ren adjusted her school uniform blazer as she stood before Sojiro who looked already aggravated by the thought of having to deal with her, well ‘him’, for the rest of the year. She was sure she had done nothing to aggravate the man within the forty two hours she was living with him, but some people just wouldn’t see past a criminal record. She realized this after being introduced to her teacher and principle the day before.

 

“I’m heading to school now.” She said as she adjusted her glasses, she would have to remember to buy a repair kit when she could and tighten them. They had been loose long enough to become an annoyance to her in her day to day life.

 

“Remember to take the Ginza line.” He said idly as he fixed a cup of coffee for a customer. She gave him a firm nod to let him know she heard him and made her way out of the cafe. The bright morning sun caused her to cover her eyes in order for the harsh light not to glare off of her glasses and blind her. She adjusted her school bag on her back and turned down the alley to make her way to the train station. The air hung thick around her as she walked, perhaps the dread of hiding her gender for a year was finally hitting her after a good night’s sleep.

The train switch was difficult due to the direct way to the Ginza line being blocked, but she soon found her way to the correct train and made it to the station nearest her new school. That was when she ran into a problem. Rain came down suddenly on her, causing her to hide under a overhang in front of a small bookstore rather than getting soaked through. She checked the time on her phone and winced at how soon school would start for the day. She couldn’t stand there forever.

 

A flash of blonde caught her attention as the girl who stopped beside her lowered her hood. Ren glanced over just in time for the girl to notice her as well and shoot her an angry look. She fought against herself as she felt her throat tighten, did the blonde think she was some pervert or something? The girl scoffed and turned away from her to hold her hand out to the rain as the thought crossed her mind. Ren took the moment to look down at her phone and turn more towards the road so the other girl would not assume she was staring at her. She had to keep Akira’s image up after all, and it was rude to stare anyway.

 

“Hey, need a ride? You’re going to be late.” her attention was pulled to the buff man sporting a short afro and a tight white shirt who was leaning over the passenger side of his car to call out to them. Ren was off put by the man’s sudden appearance and was about to turn him away when the blonde walked past her to take a seat beside the man in the car. “You need a ride to?” the man asked as he turned his attention on Ren. She stiffened and focused on making her features a manly as possible with just the look on her face while remaining a unreadable as possible.

 

“Nah…” was all she trusted herself to say, less the man pick up that her voice was a bit too feminine for her appearance. He shrugged at her before turning his attention on the road. Then the window beside the blonde was rolled up, blocking her from them before they drove away. She glanced down at her phone again as they blended in with the traffic of the early morning and furrowed her brow as the same app that she swore she deleted the night before opened itself. She didn’t want to add anything to Akira’s phone, it wasn’t hers and she had every intention of giving it back to him when she returned home. 

 

“No, no, no, no. Shit! Kamoshida.” The voice that drew closer to her with each word had her pausing in her attempts to delete it once again. She looked up to see a lanky boy with bleached blonde hair wearing a yellow tee shirt under what looked like her own uniform blazer. She felt her head tilt slightly as he turned to face her and his warm chocolate brown eyes broke the vision of a  delinquent that he put off. 

 

“Kamo-shida?” she muttered as she glanced back the way the car went.

 

“What- you don’t know Kamoshida? You go to Shujin right?” The blonde boy asked as he turned to face her and shoved his hands in his pockets. “That damn pervy teacher.” he muttered as his eyes broke away from her own to look off slightly to the right.

 

“Shujin.” she hummed as she toyed with her short bangs. Shujin was her schools name now, right? She couldn’t remember, it was early and already so much had happened.

 

“You do go to Shujin, I mean there aren’t any other schools with uniforms like this.” He leaned in close to her and she tensed, her mind going to her chest bindings and worry filling her as he eyed her lapel. “A second year, like me. Never seen you before though.” He stated as he leaned away, she let out a small sigh of relief.

 

“I’m new.” She said plainly.

 

“New? Oh you that transfer student. Guess you wouldn’t know about Kamoshida then. That perverted teacher treats Shujin like his own castle.” The guy scoffed at the thought of his own words as he turned to look the way that the car had gone.

 

“Castle?” Ren was very confused now, how could a teacher run an entire school to the point that their students spoke about them like that?

 

“Rain’s letting up, lets go or we’ll be late.” The boy was saying then, bringing her out of her thoughts. She nodded at his words and took a step to follow him, only for them both to pause as a sudden rush of lightheadedness washed through them. “Woah, my head hurts. I wanna go home...” she heard him mumble before he was heading off and she was idly following him, the app forgotten as they made their way down a few alleys, she assumed it to be a shortcut to the school.

 

What she didn’t expect was to see a large castle, complete with a drawbridge, waiting for them when they exited the alleyways.

 

“We didn’t come the wrong way.” The boy said as he turned to look back the way they had come. Ren glanced at the sign set into the stone wall alongside the road and frowned as the name of their school met her eye. “Might as well go in and ask…” She felt her eyes widen slightly as he began to walk across the drawbridge. With only a moment of hesitation she followed after him, slipping the phone she held into her pocket as she did so.

 

* * *

 

Ren’s head hurt, that was the first thing she noticed when she came into consciousness. She hissed softly and reached up to touch a growing welt on the top of her head as she pushed herself up into a somewhat sitting position. Her head throbbed, and her back was stiff due to the harsh bed she had been laying on. Memories of odd soldiers encircling her and the blonde boy swam back into her mind as she let out a soft groan.

 

“Oh, hey. You’re awake. Are you alright?” She cut her eyes at the blonde before letting out a long sigh and sitting up fully on the table she had assumed was a bed.

 

“Fine, you okay?” She asked as she rubbed her head slowly, feeling the welt that was still growing there.

 

“Yeah, just…” The boy allowed his voice to drift away as he rubbed the side of his neck, “What is this place?” He asked after a moment, “Some kind of movie set or somethin’?”

 

“I’m not sure…” She stood on uneasy legs and wandered around the small cell they found themselves locked in, he hung by the door, obviously done with searching their surroundings and on edge wondering what was to happen to them now. 

 

“I saw those, thought they looked like they were used for torture or something.” He called out as she studied a wall of chains and shackles. She turned to cast him a questioning glance as her fingers found their way to cup her chin. How did they end up here when they were on their way to school just… however long ago. She couldn’t be sure how long either of them were knocked out. If the pain in her head was any indication it could have very well been for hours, if not a day.

 

_ What kind of movie set is this? Where’s the school?  _ She thought to herself as she moved to study the barrels nearby the door. Nothing was in them, something he pointed out to her before grasping the bars and screaming for help of any kind. She could tell this boy was freaked out by their situation, probably more than she was. If his screaming wasn’t a dead enough give away his right leg twitching and jumping would have been. 

 

“You have been charged with unlawful entry,” She chanced a glance through the bars to see four of the soldiers from before walking up to them. “The punishment for your crime is death.” The guard nearest them was the one speaking, though she couldn’t be sure as their mouths did not move. 

 

“Bullshit!” The blonde beside her shouted at the guard through the bars, “I ain’t dying here!”

 

“I thought it was some petty thief, to think it was you Sakamoto.” Ren felt her eyes widen at the sight of the man from the car approaching them in what looked like a king’s cape and nothing else. She quickly averted her eyes from him as her skin crawled with repulsion. What the hell was going on?

 

“Kamoshida.” The boy, Sakamoto, spat as he glared daggers at the man. She recalled him calling him a pervy teacher as she shivered against the urge to vomit. This wasn’t good at all. The door swung open and the guards pushed Sakamoto aside easily as they made their way into the small cell. It wasn’t but a second later that Sakamoto was rushing at them and knocking one to the ground.

 

“Come on, we gotta run!” He called out to her, snapping her out of her shocked still state. She gave him a quick nod and prepared herself to rush out of the cell behind the blonde, ready to just get out of the strange place they had found themselves.

 

Instead she found herself shoved against the wall while the guards moved in on Sakamoto. The rough stone scratched at her back and pulled her bindings up into an uncomfortable mass by her spine. She winced and looked up just in time to see the guy, Kamoshida, kicking Sakamoto as he spat insults at the boy. She rushed to grab a guard who was moving in on them, intent on stopping the execution that they kept threatening over and over again.

 

“Just run, get out of here!” Sakamoto panted against the pain he was going through and she felt her heart sink, how could she just leave him when he was trying to save her? She shook her head fervently at his words, she wasn’t going anywhere, not without him as well.

 

“Oh? You’re going to run and leave your friend here?” Kamoshida’s attention was on her now, she had to swallow back the bile that his bloodshot orange eyes brought up her throat. 

 

“NO!” She snapped as she struggled to hang on to the guard. She turned to Sakamoto and leveled a determined line across her brow.

 

“He ain’t a friend!” Sakamoto insisted loudly then, causing her to take a step back in shock as Kamoshida turned to look down at him once again. Ren felt her lips pull into a frown a split second before she was shoved by a shield, hitting the wall once again. 

 

“Keep him there, I’ll deal with him after I kill this peasant.” Kamoshida didn’t even spare her a second glance before turning his attention on Sakamoto once again. She grabbed her head as she steadied herself on the wall behind her. Her vision was swimming as she watched the pseudo king lash out with his sandaled foot and slam it into the blonde’s stomach.

 

“Stop!” She shouted, a pike was pressed against her throat in response and she grabbed it as she gnashed her teeth and emminated a warning growl.

 

_ “Are you just going to stand there and watch?” _ Her eyes widened as the voice filled her mind.  _ “Was your sacrifice for you’re brother also a mistake?” _

 

“It wasn’t… a mistake.” She struggled to say as the wooden rod of the pike was pressed into her throat.

 

“What was that?” Kamoshida snarled as he turned to face Ren. 

 

“Arsene…” She was slammed against the wall by the shield again, this time the edge caught her face causing her glasses to fly off. Her head fell forward as another pike was pressed against her neck, crossing over the first and holding her against the wall firmly. “Give me your power!” she commanded. 

 

A flash of blue fire proceeded a shockwave that sent the guards flying backwards. She stumbled once as she moved from the wall, an evil smirk crossing her lips as she glanced up at the small crowd that stood frozen watching her. An animal impulse took over her as she rightened herself. Her hands moving to grasp at a mask that had appeared as the blue flames died away from her skin. She struggled for a moment, clawing at the mask, before finally managing to pull it away and feeling the warm blood dripping down her cheeks and neck as she lifted her head once again, the smirk turning into a full blown grin as she did so.

 

“Execute him!” Kamoshida commanded as he backed towards the open door. She turned her gaze on the guards who burst into shadows before morphing into beings she had never seen before. Her right hand moved to pull the dagger from its spot at her hip, as if it was something she had done many times before.

 

With Arsene on her side the fight was easier than she could have ever fathomed. The shadow creatures fell under his abilities and her blade. Before she had time to fully take in what happened she was left standing in the cell with Kamoshida cowering in one corner and Sakamoto staring at her in awe from another. She took a step back as she looked down at herself, a strange outfit was covering her body, a deep grey vest covered in a long black trench coat that was absolutely not the school uniform she was wearing when she woke up in the small cell. 

 

As she was studying herself, her eyes caught a glint of silver and honed in on a set of keys laying on the ground. She jerked her head up to meet the blonde’s eyes as her mind zeroed in on a plan.

 

“The keys.” she said as she motioned to them.

 

“Yeah!” Sakamoto was quick to move, grabbing the keys and following her out of the cell before locking Kamoshida inside and tossing the keyring off far into the dark hallway they found themselves in. “Let’s go we gotta get out of here!” He seemed to be focusing on escape before anything else, something she could relate to as the oddities were beginning to cause a headache to form around the spot she had been originally hit on the head. She gave him a firm nod in response and they rushed quickly down the only open path they could see.

 

How far they ran, they really couldn’t say. Jail cells blended together along the walls while water rushed constantly just a few feet from where they rushed down the moldy floor. Ren was feeling a stitch growing on her side and could hear her companion panting for breath and cursing softly whenever they stopped to take a turn. Ren was sure that they would die from over exhaustion in this place when her body tried to seize from the amount of cramps hitting her at once, she was no runner that much was obvious now more than ever.

 

“Hey! Hey over here!” They both jumped at the sound of the voice and turned to see what could only be described as a small black and white cat mascot waving at them from a cell a few down from where they stood catching their breath. Sakamoto gave her a small shrug when she shot him a questioning glance and together they walked up to the things cell.

 

“Is it like those other guys?” Sakamoto asked as they studied the thing.

 

“I’m not! Look I’m captured to! Help me out and I’ll get you out of here.” the cat thing insisted as it leaned against the bars of the cell to get a better look at Ren, the outfit she had found herself in seemed to weigh a ton under the cat things stare.

 

“So what, you expect us to trust you demon cat?” Sakamoto asked.

 

“I am not a demon cat! I’m a human like you! Look, see those keys over there?” Ren glanced at the wall where a ring of keys hung from a hook, “just get them and help me out and I will get you out of this place, okay?”

 

“What do you think?” Ren shrugged at the blonde’s question and pulled on her bangs as she studied the creature behind the bars. At the sound of soldiers coming down the hall she rushed to grab the keys and let it out. After a quick conversation where they learned the thing called itself Morgana, they followed it back down the hallway that they had come from. Morgana stopped beside an odd bust of Kamoshida and turned to them a moment after concerns of their path were beginning to settle in Ren’s mind.

 

There was another confusing moment in which Morgana tried to explain the reason behind stopping to Sakamoto, then suggested Ren take a look at the statue. When she studied it closer the poorly hidden hinge on the jaw caught her attention. She reached out, wrapping her fingers over the things lower teeth, and pulled down. A low rumbling surrounded them as the drawbridge beside Sakamoto lowered itself. Morgana lead the way across that bridge, down another hallway, and across yet another smaller bridge before they stood face to face with another soldier.

 

“You can fight right?” he asked as he turned his attention on Ren.

 

“I uh, yeah?” she mumbled as she looked down at the dagger on her hip. That was all Morgana needed to hear before he rushed forward, swiping at the soldier with his sword. Much like before the soldier burst into a fountain of shadows before morphing into a monster. Ren fought alongside Morgana and was relieved to see that the small not-cat also had something much like Arsene on his side. Sakamoto was surprised by this development and Morgana seemed pleased as he explained some things to them about what exactly was going on, the main point Ren picked up on being the fact that Arsene was a persona and apparently was inside her all along.

 

“Woah what happened to your outfit dude?” Ren raised her eyebrow at Sakamoto’s comment and glanced down to see she was once again in her school uniform. She felt along her sides and sighed in relief when she felt her bindings now back in place instead of being rolled up and possibly loosened.

 

“That’s strange, usually the transformation doesn’t just dissipate like that.” Morgana noted, then shook his head and motioned down the hall, “We don’t have time, they will be looking for you and you need to get out of here. I will show you the way then you can help me out as well.” He didn’t wait for them to reply before rushing ahead. They followed after him quickly, their journey taking them through the dungeon and up a winding flight of stairs that opened into the same room they found themselves in before they were knocked out by the guards. The thick red carpet hid their steps as they rushed across the room behind Morgana and into a better lit grander hallway than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope whoever is reading this is enjoying it. I was inspired to write it while reading a story on this site named Stealing Hearts, the Family Business by the author EverydayPotato. If you haven't read it yet I highly suggest doing so, it is brilliant.
> 
> Much Love to you all,
> 
> Ad


	3. Day 1.2 April 11 20XX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School sucks. Rumors suck. Can Ren get back to the Castle already?

“So, what’s your excuse?” Ren shifted from foot to foot before her new teacher, how they ended up at the school this time she didn’t know, but she was simply glad that they found their way there. Of course, she couldn’t tell her teacher that she was late because she followed a blonde down the exact same path yet ended up in a castle, oh and the volleyball coach apparently was murderous and hated clothes. No, she couldn’t do that while acting as her brother who barely even cursed when he wasn’t being watched, let alone be a sarcastic little shit while he was.

“The trains were delayed and I got lost along the way.” She said in a low voice as she pushed her glasses up her nose. She was studied by her teacher for a long moment before the woman let out a grunt and seemed to relax against the computer chair that she was sitting in.

“I suppose that you can’t be expected to know your way on the first day.” Ren relaxed as well at her words. “Well come on, lunch break is almost over. We only have one class remaining today due to the accidents. Try to get to school on time tomorrow.” Ren nodded and followed her to the classroom where she felt she was being dissected by their eyes as the soft murmurs of warnings filled the room. Her teacher was introducing her and telling the class that ‘Akira Kurusu’ couldn’t make it until now due to not feeling well. She took a moment to remind herself she was Akira before introducing herself as such and heading to the desk the teacher pointed out to her.

“Lies.” She paused in her steps as the blonde girl from before spat the word under her breath. She moved to sit in her seat as the girl scoffed quietly and felt the urge to say something rather than simmer in the uncomfortable feeling growing in her chest.

“Hello, you’re from this morning right? I’m Akira.” she said as she took her book from her bag. The girl simply grunted once again, at the same time the girls around them began gossiping that the blonde and Ren were secretly dating. Ren shifted uncomfortably in her seat and tried to look as unassuming as possible, while chastising herself due to already making her brother into something to gossip about. How was she supposed to make it through a year of this without lashing out at someone?

The class was thankfully short, Ren spent most of it pondering what happened in the castle and why. The teacher Kamoshida seemed unaware that he tried to kill them when they met on the school steps, he even seemed somewhat reasonable when he convinced the school counselor to lessen the punishment for the boy she learned was named Ryuji before giving her a warning about coming late. All in all he seemed like just a normal teacher, so why couldn’t she get the image of him in just a speedo and cape out of her mind.

“Kurusu-kun.” She was almost out of the classroom when the teacher called out to her. After quickly running over what she had done in the last fifty minutes and deciding that there was nothing that she could be in trouble over she turned to give her teacher her full attention. “Kamoshida told me you came to school with Sakamoto-kun this afternoon, stay away from him and keep your head down. He isn’t good news.”

“Yo.” As if calling out his name summoned him, Ryuji appeared beside them with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his uniform pants.

“I see you haven’t dyed your hair back to black yet.” The teacher sighed as as ran her fingers through her hair.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” Ryuji said sarcastically before leaning in close to Ren’s ear. “Meet me on the roof.” he whispered, then was on his way down the hallway as if nothing had happened. Ren smiled and gave the teacher a nonchalant wave before walking away from her classroom and turning towards the stairs.

The rooftop was surprisingly warm considering the strong breeze that blew across it. She was ready to simply go home when she was first struck by it upon opening the door, however the concrete absorbed the warmth from the sun and bounced it back up at her pleasantly as she made her way to where Ryuji sat waiting on one of many spare desks. She wasn’t sure why the school chose to store the spare desks on the roof, but it at least gave them a place to sit and talk.

“Hey, that thing with the castle, you remember it to right?” Ryuji asked as she approached him, not dancing around the matter at all. She considered how much she appreciated people like him as she took a seat on top of another desk. His question was an odd one, though she had to admit what happened seemed too far flung to be real to her either.

“Yeah, I remember.” She said and watched him relax, leaning over and resting his arms on his knees as he let out a long relieved breath.

“Just because we both remember doesn’t mean anyone will believe us.” He looked up at the school as he punched the desktop beside him. “But dammit that Kamoshida pisses me off! How could he do something like that!” Ren shrugged, unsure what to say. He leaned back then, kicking one leg out to hang it over the other as he studied her. “Did Kawakami tell you to avoid me?” He asked. She nodded again and he chuckled darkly, “Yeah, I heard about you too, on probation for assault. Guess we both are delinquents huh?”

“It’s not like that.” She mumbled as she rubbed her neck.

“I’m not asking man,” He shot Ren a smile and shrugged, “I guess I’m just surprised you didn’t ignore me. Everyone else does.” Ren straightened herself and eyed him carefully.

“I don’t see any reason to do that.” She said with a shrug. Her comment seemed to lift a weight on his shoulders as his face lit up with the largest smile she had seen in a very long time. His eyes practically sparkled in the sunlight as they met her own.

“Geez,” Ryuji looked away as she returned his smile and scratched at the back of his head. “Oh yeah, right. The castle. We both remember it right, that means it happened for real. Let’s see if we can get back there, those other prisoners are still trapped and we could help ‘em out.” Ren crossed her arms as she thought over his words before nodding once again. “Good, come on, we can retrace our steps.” She followed him from the rooftop to the same storefront she had met him in front of that morning. He led her the way they had come over and over again, each time they ended up right back in front of the school and each time Ryuji just became that much more infuriated.

“What the hell?” He groaned as he scratched his head fiercely, “We came that way right? It was the alleyways, you remember?”

“Yeah.” Ren said as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder, it was getting late in the day and she needed to get back before Sojiro locked her out of the cafe or something. “I gotta get back.” She told him as she took out her phone to check the time. His eyes lit up when he caught sight of it and he grabbed ahold of her wrist quickly.

“Your phone! Didn’t you have a nav app going on it the first time?” She felt her brows raise as she studied him in shock. Her mind taking longer than she liked to piece together his words.

“Uhhhh.”

“I remember it saying something like ‘returned to the real world’.” he specified as he released her and took a step back. She switched her phone to her other hand and twisted her wrist around as she thought over his words.

“I guess so but-” She looked down at her phone and shook her head slowly, “It’s late…”

“Right um, give me your number, chat ID too, we can keep in touch and try again tomorrow.” He pulled his own phone out and held it towards her. She accepted it and typed Akria’s number in on her second try, before glancing at her phone once again to check his Chat ID and typed it in as well. After that was done she handed Akira’s phone over to him and waited for him to do the same with his own information before exchanging their phones once again.

“She’s cute, anyone important?” Ryuji asked with a quirked brow. Ren glanced down to see herself and Akira smiling up at her from the lockscreen and inwardly groaned.

“Not really.” she shook her head. “I doubt you’ll ever meet her anyways.” Ryuji laughed at this and patted Ren on the shoulder.

“I get it man, keep your secret girlfriend to yourself.” He called merrily as he turned and walked away from her. She slid the phone into her pocket with a long sigh, he was dense but Ryuji was a good guy all in all.

 

* * *

 

That night she met with her first big hurdle of the year, the bathhouse.

It wasn’t that she was scared of being found out for being a girl as much as she was worried Sojiro would decide to check in on her while she was in there and think she decided to go out somewhere dangerous late at night. The old man was already suspicious of ‘Akira’ so it wouldn’t take much for his mind to jump to the conclusion that she was getting into trouble.

She managed to slip out dressed in loose fitting clothes and without her chest bindings to get into the female's side of the bathhouse, she even managed to do so on a night when it was completely empty so she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone seeing her inside. Her problem came when her abdomen suddenly seized painfully as she was showering, causing her to fold over and hiss through her teeth as the cramp intensified. She looked down to see the pink water rushing into the drain between her feet and groaned as she rested her head against the tiled wall.

“Fuck.” She took a moment to steady her breath before rinsing her hair and body quickly. Not even bothering with the medicinal bath as she rushed to the metal box hanging on the wall near the exit, 500 yen later she had her problem temporarily taken care of and another task to add to her morning. She needed to stop by a convenience store before school and hopefully manage to buy some sanitary pads without someone spreading another rumor about ‘Akira’.

She was just crawling into her sad excuse for a bed when her phone chimed, letting her know she had a new message on top of a few missed ones. She groaned as she unlocked the phone and read through the new thread slowly.

_ **Ryuji** _   
_Hey man about tomorrow._   
_We should do it after school._   
**_Ryuji_ **   
_Are you asleep or something?_   
**_Ryuji_ **   
_I want to help those other people who were trapped._   
** _Ryuji_ **   
_They reminded me a lot of the kids from school_   
**_Ryuji_ **   
_Dude_   
_Now that I can think I swear a few of them looked like they were from the volleyball team._

She sighed and rested the phone against her chest for a moment as she stared up at the rafters of the ceiling. What was she supposed to say? _Sure thing dude, let’s go to that creepy ass castle which we couldn’t find our way back to and rescue i don't know how many kids from our teacher who likes to wear a speedo in his spare time._ Even the thought of that reply had her snorting. She sighed once again as she lifted the phone and began her reply.

** _Akira_ **   
_Are you sure?_

** _Ryuji_ **   
_He answers!_   
_Where were you dude?_

** _Akira_ **   
_Bathhouse._

** _Ryuji_ **   
_Damn, even over chat your replies are short._   
_Anyway, what do you think about the plan._

** _Akira_ **   
_How are we going to do it?_

**_Ryuji_ **   
_I’ll figure it out._   
_Just be ready tomorrow._

**_Akira_ **   
_I’ll be counting on you then._

** _Ryuji_ **   
_Sure thing man._

She rolled over, locking her phone as she pulled her blanket further up on herself. Her eyes were heavy and she still felt the uncomfortable pains along her abdomen as she snuggled into her pillow. Thoughts of the strange castle or any of the rumors she heard during the day were soon replaced by dreams of her and her brother playing on a beach when they were younger, laughing and dancing in the waves while their parents looked on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments give me life! Energy!
> 
> Also Sidenote: I posted this chapter on my phone due to my laptop dying. Let me know if anything looks weird and I’ll fix it later. 
> 
> Much Love:  
> Ad


	4. Day 2: April 18 20XX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann knows something, Ren finds herself caught in her own twisted truths.

**Day 2: April 18 20XX**

 

_(April 12: a spark from a call)_

 

_The phone rang for what felt like forever as Ren curled up below her blankets, praying that the sounds from the café below would drowned out what she had to say._

 

_“Hello?” Her father sounded tired as he answered, she bit her lip as the guilt over calling so late washed through her._

 

_“H-hi dad… is Akira awake by any chance?”_

 

_“Ren…” she could visualize him running his hand down his face in irritation._

 

_“Dad it’s important.” She insisted quickly. “Please just get Aki for me?”_

 

_“Fine.” A few long moments of silence passed as she waited with baited breath. The bathhouse held very few products for her to use and her trip to the store earlier that day gained her so many odd looks the second she stepped into the feminine care aisle that she was not going to attempt that ever again._

 

_“Ren?” She perked up at the sound of Akira’s voice, almost forgetting why she called until his next question brought her back. “Why are you calling so late?” The sound of the last customers leaving the cafe reached her ears then, she had to make this quick._

 

_“Look, there is no time to beat around the bush here Aki.” She said a bit quieter into the phone. “I need your help desperately.”_

 

_“What do you need?”_

 

_“Lady… products…” she winced as the other end of the call went silent, already picturing her brother turning white as a sheet._

 

_“You didn’t bring any with you?” He asked desperately a moment later._

 

_“I was kinda in a rush Okay? Can you send me some please? I can give you Leblanch’s address.” There was another moment of silence before she heard him let out an aggravated sigh._

 

_“Fine. Text your phone the address.”_

 

_“You unlocked my phone?”_

 

_“Your passcode was literally the word Boobs.” She had a short giggle as she remembered setting the code while bored out of her mind. “Ren! Please try to be a little mature here so I don’t lose my mind.”_

 

_“Okay okay.” She adjusted herself into a more comfortable position and let her laughter die away. “I’ll text you the address, just send me enough for a few months and I’ll pay you back later.”_

 

_“Was that all you needed?” She thought for a long while, she couldn’t tell him about things she needed outside of feminine products. After all there was no way in hell he wouldn’t question her asking for realistic weapon models._

 

_“Yeah. That’s all. I love you.”_

 

_“Love you to… brat.” Even if he couldn’t see it she still stuck her tongue out at his comment._

 

* * *

 

 

“Okay, let’s go over the pros and cons here.” Ryuji called as he dodged an attack from one of three incubus’ who were trying to kill them. “Pro, we managed to find our way into the castle.” Ren slid under another incubus and shot him a questioning glare as she took a swipe at it with her blade, was he really choosing now to do this? “Con,” Ryuji rushed towards the beasts with his pipe, ready to whack them across the room, “We somehow drug _her_ into it as well.”

 

“Oh shut it Skull!” Ann called out as she laid a line of fire out before her, disintegrating two of the three monsters before she continued, “I am at least being _helpful_ here!”

 

“Ignore him Panther, it’s not important.” Morgana used his slingshot to take down the last one as he spoke. “All we have to focus on is the treasure.”

 

“Mona’s right.” Ren sighed as she rubbed her eyes with her fingers. “The sooner we get his treasure the sooner all of this is over.”

 

“I knew you would see it the smart way Joker.” Morgana practically beamed with pride as he said this.

 

“Though getting Panther did waste us a full day due to her weakened state at the time.” Ren said as her eyes met Ryuji’s, his chocolate hues brightened instantly as he turned to sneer at Morgana. “We made some good progress today, it looks like we’ve covered about half the castle.” Ann perked up at this, Ren hadn’t even noticed her pouting.

 

“Maybe we should find a safer place to talk about this.” Ryuji suggested as the four of them ducked behind a pillar to hide from a patrolling shadow soldier. Ren nodded before tilting her head in a ‘follow me’ gesture and running down the hall that the shadow had just left. She could already feel her energy waning, though she somehow ended up leading the group she knew she would be the first to run out of steam. Wielding Arsene put such a strain on her body that she was surprised she could still walk at this point of their infiltration. Late night talks with Morgana were no help as the cat had no idea why she didn’t seem to have as much control over her persona as the others.

 

Their ‘safer place’ ended up being an out of the way closet that Kamoshida didn’t find necessary in his castle. At least that was the gist of what Ren understood when Morgana told them about the lessened distortions in certain rooms earlier in the week.

 

“Do you think we can find the treasure today? We are cutting it pretty close.” Ryuji said as he flopped down in a chair near the single table in the room.

 

“With Panther on our team we have a higher chance of making it further in.” Morgana said as he laid out the two dusty maps they had collected. “I’m sensing the treasure from somewhere here.” He added as he pointed to what appeared to be a throne room.

 

“Right in the heart of the beast.” Ren sighed as she sat down, dropping her head into her hands as she did so. Headaches were always a warning sign that her strength was nearing its end.

 

“Hey man you’re looking a li’l pale.” She glanced between her fingers at Ryuji and shot him a small smile when she heard him say this.

 

“I’ll be fine.”

 

“Oh no, you said that last time and we practically had to carry you out.” Ryuji slammed his hands down on the table as he spoke, causing her to jump and sit at full attention. “We are a team alright, you tell us if we need to bail for the day and we’ll leave. Look,” he motioned to the maps before them, “we are well over halfway through, I know I said we are cutting it close but one more day isn’t going to hurt us.”

 

“I agree, plus we do have school tomorrow. You need to rest up.” Ann added from where she sat with her arms crossed over her chest. Every time Ren thought of Ann’s outfit she felt a mix of anxiety and relief that left her struggling for which emotion was stronger. If her own outfit had turned into something like that then her secret would be out and she would be home already with Akira forced into her place.

 

“Oh man, why you gotta bring up school? Our day off spent in this Palace. Stupid Kamoshida.” Ryuji complained loudly, bringing Ren’s attention back to him. She felt a small smile grace her lips as she leaned into an upright position.

 

“We do need rest.” Ren sighed as she rifled through her pockets, “I’m running out of medicine as well.” The other three nodded solemnly, thankful that side effects from taking so much medicine were voided the moment they entered reality.

 

They made their way out of the castle as quickly as possible, pausing on the drawbridge so Ren could request their return to the real world before making their way towards the alley ahead. Ren leaned against the wall of the alley as she panted, even if the effects of the drugs didn’t remain her exhaustion certainly did.

 

Ann was watching her with her brows pulled close together as she stood and stretched her neck, she raised her own brow in response and the blonde girl shook her head causing her pigtails to bounce lightly around her shoulders. Both Ann and Ryuji seemed perfectly fine after their trip into the palace, and Ren could feel the heat of jealousy in the pit of her stomach. What made them so much better at handling the strain a persona put on someone? How was she any different.

 

“Akira, do you mind if I come to the café today for a bit, it’s still pretty early.” Ryuji and Ren both froze at Ann’s request, each turning to fully face her with unasked questions swirling in their eyes, “What, I can want some coffee once in a while.” Ann huffed as she crossed her arms before her chest.

 

“Uh, sure.” Ren replied as she stuffed her hands into her pockets. Ryuji made a disgusted face before shaking his head quickly.

 

“Coffee… you can count me out.” He said in an annoyed tone as he turned to face the other way. “I gotta get home anyway to help my mom. See you two tomorrow.” He gave them a wave without looking back at them as he spoke.

 

“Don’t stay up too late.” Ren called out as he began to walk away.

 

“Yeah yeah.” was his reply as he shrank from their view down the street. Ann slipped her arm in Ren’s and turned them towards the train station after he was out of their sight.

 

“I didn’t think he knew,” she smirked at Ren as she gave her arm a gentle squeeze, “I wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t for the way you stretch.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Ren could feel the beads of sweat growing along her forehead as she asked the question. Ann was acting strange, not that she really knew the blonde, but still it was an odd dance around a bush that Ren could only guess at.

 

“Oh come on, surely you can tell me!” Ann insisted as she stopped in her tracks, her grip on Ren’s arm causing her to stop as well and turn towards her. “You don’t have an apple, and you are way to lanky even by the standards Ryuji set.” Ren tilted her head slightly, confused as to why apples meant anything before Ann huffed in aggravation and forced Ren to meet her eyes. “You’re a girl right? Why pretend to be a boy?” she inquired as she narrowed her own eyes.

 

“I… thats, I uh.” Ren didn’t know what to say, somehow Ann had seen past her when no one else had. The jealousy she held previously was replaced by a hurricane of nervousness that caused her face to drain of color as the bile rose to the back of her throat. “You- how?” She snapped her mouth shut after her sputtering words proved only to dig her deeper in the grave she found herself in. Ann surprised her once again by brightening immediately and practically squealing as she pulled her into a hug.

 

“This is great! The more girlfriends the better right?” Ann asked as she pulled away. The look of terror on Ren’s face caused her to purse her lips momentarily before she continued, “don’t worry, my lips are sealed alright?” She asked as she tilted her head and nudged Ren lightly with her elbow.

 

Ren stared at her as her terror and shock faded away into a blank expression before a small smile replaced it. She gave Ann a small nod before adjusting her bag on her shoulder. It was at this moment that Morgana decided to poke his head out and add to the conversation.

 

“Finally, I thought I would have to keep it to myself forever.” he proclaimed smugly. Ren jumped and turned her head to eye him suspiciously.

 

“How did you find out?” She asked as her eyes narrowed at the cat.

 

“I sleep on your chest remember, and you don’t bind it at night. I just figured it was a secret and didn’t want to go behind your back to test my theory.” Ren sighed and placed her hand against her face as she lowered her head, of course Morgana already knew.

 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Ryuji already knows too.” She grumbled.

 

“I doubt it, He’s kinda an idiot.” Ann giggled around her words, the sound of her merriment bringing a small smile to Ren’s lips. Of course Ryuji didn’t know, he was too straightforward and would have come to her with questions the moment he became suspicious.

 

They talked for a bit more as they made their way to the train station. Once there Ann left Ren to head to her own home with a promise of a girls day later in the week. Ren was still a bit on edge about her knowing her secret, though she had to admit to herself that she felt a bit closer to Ann than she did before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't plan on this being exactly like the game, obviously, so this chapter is where it begins to deviate a bit.
> 
> Hope it was enjoyable nonetheless.
> 
> Much Love:
> 
> Ad


	5. Day 3.1: April 22, 20xx

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while guys, I took my time with this one and rewrote it.... (checks tally marks written on hand) four times.
> 
>  
> 
> Ren and Ann spend time together. Meanwhile Ryuji gets into a confusing confrontation and Morgana becomes annoyed.

Ren checked her phone for the third time since she sat down in the booth at Big Bang Burger. When she saw there were no new messages she sighed and rested her head in her palm. It was hard to find a place to change into the girly clothes that Ann had slipped her the day before at school, but she had to admit not wearing the bindings on her chest was a relief. She could breathe steadily for the first time in a long time, and her ribs didn’t feel like they were being crushed anymore. When she chanced another glance at her phone she heard someone clearing their throat just in front of her. She looked up to see Ann standing there wearing a button up shirt that was long enough to hang over thighs that were wrapped in tight leggings. Ren pushed her glasses up on her nose as she nodded in acknowledgement of the girl.

 

“Did you seriously cut your hair, I thought it was a wig.” Ann said as she took the seat in front of Ren.

 

“It was faster and more reliable than finding a wig.” Ren said with a small shrug. Ann snorted at this and shook her head slowly as she pulled Ren’s tray towards her and snatched a fry from it.

 

“Makes you being yourself pretty hard though.” Ann pointed out, to which Ren nodded her head, she had to agree with the blondes statement, though coming out to Tokyo was not supposed to allow her to be herself in the first place. She didn’t do it for herself anyway, she did it for her brother.

 

“It’s alright, it’s only for a year.” She said with another nonchalant shrug. Ann paused in her eating of Ren’s fries to look at her as if she had seen a ghost.

 

“A whole year acting like someone else.” Ann began as she lowered the fry, “That sounds like… a lot.” Ren shook her head slowly, hoping to dispel any negative thoughts that Ann could have about her choice. She lifted her drink to her lips and took a moment pretending to sip from it to give herself time to think before she answered Ann’s unasked question.

 

“I am fine with it, it was my choice not Akiras.” Ann tilted her head at Ren’s explanation, causing one of her long pigtails to brush along the tabletop as she did so. Ren sighed at the sight but continued when it was clear the other girl was confused. “Akira is my brother, he wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was actually saving a woman the night he was arrested. He’s always been such a good guy that it just wasn’t right for him to be punished for something like that so I decided to take his place.” She grabbed a hair near her ear and twisted it between her fingers as she let a smaller sigh slip through her lips. “I… I drugged him the night before he was due to come here.”

 

“So… your great plan to keep your brother safe was to drug him?” Ann asked as she reached for another fry. Ren looked down as she gritted her teeth. 

 

“I was never the best kid, it seemed the easiest option at the time.” She said after a long awkward silence settled between them. Ann nodded slowly at Ren’s short explanation and leaned back in her chair. 

 

“You act pretty good at school, keep your head down, you only ever talk to Ryuji…” Ann began. 

 

“Yeah um… Akira is a good kid so I have to be while pretending to be him.” Ren shrugged once again Ann nodded. They sat in silence as Ann finished off her fries and looked through her phone idly. Ren checked her own phone, scrolled through a few online forums she once checked religiously back home, and waited on a text from her brother. Akira hadn’t contacted her since their late night phone call, she was starting to worry that he forgot to send her what she needed. 

 

“Okay.” Ann said around a sigh, breaking Ren out of her thoughts, “So there is a place nearby that sells wigs, we can hit it up first and then go shopping for some cute clothes, you can’t be walking around in your brothers clothes forever.”

 

“Where you planning on asking my opinion on this?” Ren asked as Ann stood and stretched her arms above her head. 

 

“Nope.” 

 

“I didn’t think so.” Ren softly groaned as she stood, the thought of being dragged around for the day by Ann wasn’t exactly bad, she just didn’t see a need to spend money on outfits she would more than likely never wear. She followed the blonde from the restaurant, and along a few back alleys that came out on another street lined with specialty shops. Ann led her straight into a wig shop that was so full of styles and colors it made her head spin. She wandered around, looking at the wigs situated on mannequin heads that lined the shelves, while Ann strode right up to the counter to talk to the bored looking teen who was running it. 

 

“Well, she wants to cosplay this character with really long dark hair. We just need a realistic looking wig for it.” Ren heard Ann explain as she neared the back of the store.

 

“Our cosplay wigs are expensive.” The teen told her as Ren stepped up behind Ann.

 

“How much?” Ren asked, startling Ann who did not know she was standing behind her and causing the blonde to jump and turn to her.

 

“Akira, you can’t just sneak up on people!” Ann chastised.

 

“Sorry, but how much are the wigs?” Ren was looking at the sales clerk as she spoke.

 

“What length are you looking for?” 

 

“Between my shoulderblades would be good.” Ren turned to show the young man what she meant. He took a moment to think over her request before shaking his head sadly.

 

“With dark wigs we have waist length and shorter that your current hairstyle, I have a blonde mid back…”

 

“How much is the waist length?” Ren asked, beginning to grow irritated.

 

“It will run… 300 thousand.” Ann whistled through a grimace at the price, but Ren only sighed and fished in her pocket for the money needed.

 

“You’re actually going to buy it?” Ann whispered as Ren looked over her meager cash, she only had three hundred and fifteen thousand yen, soon she would be broke. She gave the blonde a small sad smile as she handed the cash over to the clerk. Her body felt heavy with the thought that what she was spending was more than she had seen in months, but if it would help her be herself from time to time it was a fair trade.

 

“Yeah.” Ren sighed as she watched him ring up the amount and tuck it into the cash register. After that task was completed he slipped through a curtain behind him and was back seconds later with a long dark wig. Ann crossed her arms as she watched Ren remove it from the packaging and slip it on her head, tucking the stray hairs up into it with the help of a mirror waiting on the counter. Ren glanced at her over her shoulder and Ann tilted her head a bit in response as a small smile crept across her lips.

 

“Looks good.” She told her. Ren’s lips pulled up into a ghost of a smile in response as she turned back to the mirror.

 

“Thanks.”

 

* * *

 

“Hey! Kurusu!” Akira raised his eyebrow as he turned to look for the owner of the voice. He had only just stepped out from the train station, a duffle bag over one shoulder and his eyes on the phone Ren left for him back in their hometown. A blond male, a delinquent by the looks of him, was making his way to Akira with a large smile on his face and his hand waving over his head in a friendly manner. He slipped the phone in his pocket and left his hand there, hovering over the device as the blond finally reached him.

 

“Hey.” He said simply, unsure how he should react to this boy who he could only assume Ren made friends with during her short stay in Shibuya. He wouldn’t have even thought to make friends with anyone, considering he was only meant to be there a year, so the fact that Ren already had one so quickly was both surprising and disappointing to him.

 

“I thought you said you were meeting Ann today,” The blond scratched his hair as he pulled out his own phone and scrolled through the chat app. Akira glanced over the messages but that only added to his confusion as the word Palace was constantly brought up in them.

 

“I-“ Akira began before his own phone vibrating had him pulling it from his pocket. “Hello?” He tilted his head a bit away from the blond as he answered it. 

 

“Where did you go?” His mother’s voice carried over the line. 

 

“Ren needed supplies and I got them for her. I’ll be back soon so there’s no need to worry.” The blond looked at him in confusion as he spoke, he chose to give him a nonchalant shrug in response. 

 

“Who are you talking-“ the blond began. 

 

“So you took a train to hand deliver it?! Get home! What if someone sees you?” Akira winced and glanced at the boy who was staring at him in confusion. He sighed as the thought that it was a bit too late for that filled his mind. 

 

“I’ll be quick. Talk to you when I’m done. Bye.” He quickly spouted the words before hanging up on his mother and slipping the phone back in his pocket. The blond was still looking at him and it was causing him to grow uncomfortable. 

 

“Who was that?” The blond asked as he tilted his head. Akria shook his head and gave the other boy a small shrug. 

 

“I gotta go.” He said simply. 

 

“Man, you never tell me anything!” The blond exclaimed then. “Come on, your supposed to be our leader so open up a bit.” Akira blinked in surprise, leader? What had Ren been up to?

 

“I’m sorry.” He said as he adjusted the strap of the bag on his shoulder. “I really have to go.” Without waiting to see what the delinquent had to say he turned and made his way across the crowded station center, pulling out his phone to follow the gps app to the cafe that Ren was living in currently. She was actually living very close to the train station compared to what he thought, he was impressed and already pondering what that meant for her trips to school when a black and white cat jumped from somewhere above him and meowed loudly. 

 

Akira jumped, nearly losing his phone because the small animal had come close to landing on his head. It took him a moment to calm down enough to see that the cat had a small golden yellow collar around its neck. He squatted down as the thing kept mewling at him loudly and placed his hand carefully on it’s head.

 

“Hey boy.” He said, “I am just going to see who you belong to…” He moved his hand slowly down to the collar, feeling for a tag as the cat’s lous mewling began to attract a few eyes. When there was no sign of one he glanced around himself, looking for someone who may be the cat’s owner. He was surprised, when in that instant the cat decided to jump at him once again, landing on his shoulder and settling itself there, its claws dangerously close to sinking into his skin. He froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, but when the cat made no move to, well, move, he sighed and relented. The small beast appeared to like him and wasn’t going anywhere. 

 

“Hope you like the smell of coffee…” Akira grumbled as he turned to fully face the backstreets that his gps led him to. The cat mewled once more before falling silent as he began to walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the twins reunited, and the problems that leads to.
> 
> love you all!
> 
> Ad


	6. Day 3.2: April 22 20XX

Ren was prepared to walk into Cafe Leblanc and see Sojiro and perhaps a few people sitting around in the many booths, sipping coffee, eating curry, and generally just minding their own business as they had done for the almost month she had lived there. She did not expect, however, for Sojiro Sakura to look at her, glance down at his newspaper, then look up once again as if he had seen a ghost. She paused, long enough for his brows to furrow a he let out a long breath.

 

“Swear I’m getting too old for this.” He muttered under his breath as he flipped the page in his newspaper. Ren tilted her head slightly as she watched him do this, prepared to inquire about his odd behavior before simply shaking it off. She may live under his care for now, but that didn’t mean that she had to pry into his personal thoughts.

 

It was an odd thing as well, that Morgana wasn’t waiting for her either near the bar or on the stairs leading up to her room. She took them slowly as she thought over this fact, perhaps he had decided to go investigate Momentos by himself, it wouldn’t be the wisest thing for him to do but he had claimed he had done so before.

 

“Why are you just ignoring me! Hey Joker, look at me!” she paused halfway up the stairs after hearing Morgana’s annoyed voice. Her lips pulled into a thin line as her eyes narrowed at the sound. He had used her code name, she was sure of it, but he couldn’t have seen her and she always treated him as much like any other human as possible. She took the last few steps quickly, throwing her wig and clothes laden bag on the table resting by the top of them as she called out to Morgana.

 

“Who are you-” she lost her voice as she saw the figure sitting on her bed. It could have been a mirror, the sight of the male who looked very much like herself sitting on her bed sent a warm fluttering to her chest that was soon followed by the feeling of an iceberg being jammed into her stomach. “Aki, What- why are you here?”

 

“You asked for my help so…” as he dragged out his words he motioned to a duffle bag sitting at his feet, “I am here to help my sister.” She opened her mouth to retort, but stopped short when she saw the ernest look in his deep grey eyes. With a sigh, she moved to the bed and plopped down beside him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side as he continued. “I know what you want to say, ‘you should’ve just sent a package Aki, this is too much Aki, what are we going to do if you’re discovered Aki..’” She snorted when he imitated her voice and pushed against his side with her shoulder.

 

“I… thank you for helping me Aki.” She mumbled. He smirked at her response and pulled her into a tight hug. 

 

Ren pulled away from his firm embrace and gave what very well could have been the first true smile she had in a very long time. She was surprised with just how much he looked like her now that she was disguised as a boy. All the times that she had joked about them not even being twins drifted away as she studied his features. She could have been looking into a mirror if not for the three solid inches he held over her. Akira had already grown so much in her absence, she found herself wondering if she would eventually catch up with him in the end. 

 

“It’s good to see you again.” He flashed her a sweet smile as he ruffled her hair, leaning down slightly so that they were eye to eye as he did so. 

 

“I’m glad you could visit.” The faint sound of the bell over the cafes door rang through her attic room as they sat down on her bed. It had only been a few months, yet the secrets she now had to keep from even him were already beyond what she could count. 

 

“Did you make any friends while you’ve been out here ‘Akira’?” He asked as he nudged her playfully. She chuckled, covering her lips as she did so, and tilted her head to look at him without turning. 

 

“A few…”

 

“The two of you are still talking?” Ren turned her attention to the stairs, where Morgana stood stock still as he studied them. Akira was still looking around her room, not yet noticing the black and white cat that was staring at them like a deer caught in the headlights. 

 

She could understand his feelings. 

 

“Two of who?” Ryuji’s voice filled the room before she caught sight of his wild blonde locks. She stiffened beside Akira as he stood and slipped his hands into his pockets. 

 

“One of your friends?” He asked. She nodded before looking down at her own hands that rested in her lap. Ryuji was standing beside Morgana now, a shocked look painted across his face and a confused tilt to his head as if he was struggling to figure out which one was the Akira he had befriended. 

 

“Ryuji,” She said quickly as she stood beside her brother and placed a hand on his shoulder, “this is my brother…” she struggled with a name for a moment before a proverbial light bulb popped above her head. “His name is Seta.” Seta, Akira’s old imaginary friend who he would blame when they got in trouble as little kids, a small smile graced her lips at the thought. 

 

“H-hey, I’m Ryuji. Didn’t know this guy had siblings.” Ryuji was holding his hand out to Akira with a welcoming smile on his face. Akira took the offered hand and shook it willingly as he returned the smile. 

 

“We have one more actually. Our sister Ren. Maybe you’ll meet her one day. Good to meet you Ryuji, Akira speaks highly of you.” She wanted to groan and cover her face with her hands as her brother spoke, instead she shoved them in her pockets and focused on keeping her features schooled. 

 

“Dude do you tell us anything?” Ryuji asked her. She fought against the urge to raise her brows and gave him a small shrug in return. “I mean after all we’ve been through as Phan-“

 

“Seta, you like coffee right? Boss makes great coffee.” She cut Ryuji off quickly, telling herself she would have a talk with him about filters soon less he land them in deep water. 

 

“Coffee sounds good, but I don’t want you making it  _ little brother _ .” Akira wrapped his arm around her shoulder and flashed her a devious smirk as he did so. 

 

“I’ll get Boss to make it.” She mumbled as she reached behind them to pinch his back. The hiss that her action pulled from him had him smirking again. 

 

“Akira!” Both of them perked up at the sound of his name being called, a moment later Ann was bounding up the stairs with a bag that rattled with the multiple makeup containers thrown over her shoulder, “since we managed to buy that today, I thought that-“ she stopped as she took in the sight of the three currently awkwardly standing in Ren’s room. 

 

“Look Ann, he had a brother! Get this, he has a sister too!” Ryuji moved to throw one arm over Anns shoulders as the blonde girl studied the two siblings with narrowed eyes. 

 

“Twins?” She asked without taking her eyes off of them.

 

“Triplets actually.” Akira’s quick response had Ren stiffening in his grasp. What exactly was he planning by bringing up the fact he had a sister at every given opportunity. “I stopped by to visit, Ren will come out soon though. Bet she can’t wait to meet all of you.”

 

“I doubt it.” Ren said as she adjusted her glasses, “she’s not really a people person. She’s more of a punk.” Akira laughed at this and slapped Ren’s back hard enough for her to stumble slightly. 

 

“Oh come on  _ Akira,  _ give her some credit. I’m sure she would do all sorts of crazy stunts to make sure the two of us are safe and sound after all.” He said around his laughter. 

 

“Heh, you three are close huh?” Ryuji chuckled awkwardly as he watched them interact, his free hand came up to rest on his shoulder as his eyes met Ren’s and she swallowed a lump that grew in her throat. 

 

“Coffee…” she mumbled as she looked down and away from his gaze. Ren didn’t wait for any of them to respond before she made her way past her two friends and down the stairs to the cafe that waited below. Sojiro was behind the counter, a crossword book in his hand as he waited for the two elderly customers to finish their drinks. “Boss, er, could you make some coffee? I have a brother visiting.” She said as she shifted from foot to foot, her eyes meeting everything but his as she did so.

 

* * *

 

Akira laid out across the uncomfortable mattress that made up Ren’s bed. He had his phone raised above his head and was simply scrolling through a chat that she had over a year ago with a group of her friends from their hometown to stave off his boredom. Ren told him not to leave the room, and then promptly snuck out from the window to go to a shop for a reason she wouldn’t disclose to him He worried for a while after she left, but he knew that as long as she set her mind to something he couldn’t change it anyway. 

 

He was expecting to simply be bored for a couple hours in the afternoon while she was off doing whatever she was doing at the shop, what he did not expect was for Ryuji to come rushing up the stairs closely followed by the cat that his sister had taken in and the blonde girl, Ann. He sat up quickly in the bed, his eyes wide as he fumbled with his phone after it slipped from his grip due to his own momentum, and turned his head towards them. 

 

“Akira! Come on man we got another one!” Ryuji exclaimed as he shoved his own phone in Akira’s face, on the screen was something called a Phan Site. At the top was a bar with a percentage and in the center was a pop up of a request with a scrolling wall of text behind it.

 

“But I-” he began before the cat mewled loudly.

 

“Mona’s right, it’s important, come on!” Ryuji exclaimed, grabbing his arm and yanking him up by it.

 

Before he knew it, Akira was dragged from the coffee shop and to the very place that he had first seen the blonde. The others spoke to the cat as if it were talking back with them which was very confusing for him, were all of Ren’s friends mentally challenged? Ann had her phone out and was scrolling through screen after screen of apps as Ryuji aggressively asked the cat if it wanted to fight him.

 

“Boy’s calm down.” Ann huffed, turning her attention to Akira. “Oh yeah, is it okay if I do it today Jester?” She asked him, “This job is kinda personal to me after all.” Akira had no idea what was going on, they had confused him for his sister, the second time for Ryuji, so he nodded in response to her. Curiosity was a killer apparently because only a few heartbeats later it was as if the entire world stopped. It looked the same, save for the fact that everyone in the busy central station had vanished and a strange red and black substance seemed to be oozing from below.

 

“Alright.” Akira nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw that Morgana had transformed into some large headed, huge eyed, monster cat? The yellow collar was replaced with a scarf and he had what seemed to be a utility belt wrapped around his waist. He touched his chest to calm his heart, biting the inside of his mouth in order not to cry out in alarm.

 

“Hey man are you okay?” Ryuji had noticed Akira’s face grow pale, or perhaps it was the fact that he was still in his everyday clothes while the blond male had taken on the appearance of a biker thug with a silver skull mask covering most of his face. The sight did not help Akira with the panic attack building up within him, what the  _ hell  _ had his sister gotten into.

 

“Leave Joker alone Skull, maybe he’s tired from his brothers visit.” He turned to Ann and his heart nearly stopped. She was in a skin tight leather suit that gave her quite a bit of cleavage, not to mention a cat tail like belt and a red mask in the shape of a cat’s head. “If you need to rest I can drive Mona.” She offered. He had so many questions that he didn’t know where to begin, well, he did know but he couldn’t ask these people. He needed to find Ren, she had to be somewhere nearby because this had to be some sort of sick joke.

 

“Come on, you need to sit down for a bit. You didn’t tell me it was getting this bad.” He was being dragged inside now, too dumbfounded by the situation to resist them. When the cat monster they referred to as Mona transformed into a van, he screamed.

 

* * *

 

Ren stared down at her phone with a furrowed confuse brow and a slight pout to her lips that brought out her more feminine features. Beside her the shop owner of the model gun shop stared at her with his own brow raised expectantly. On the screen of her phone, and clearly written by Ryuji, was a message stating that the Phantom Thieves were currently on a job, and the requester should see a change within the next day or so. Why would they leave her topside while they ventured into Momentos? Was it such a simple job that the three of them would be fine, or had they given up on trusting someone who couldn’t even make it through a Palace without collapsing many  _ many  _ times?

 

“Akira.” she muttered under her breath as the thought crossed her mind. Could they have taken him thinking that he was her pretending to be him? This was getting very complicated. She held her forehead in her palm as the thoughts caused her head to ache.

 

“What’s that?” She gave the shop owner a feigned smile and a small wave before turning towards the door. She had to go down there and find them before something bad happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Readers!
> 
> I returned, it took me a but due to working on a few things at the same time. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next time, the awakening of Jester!!!
> 
> Much Love;
> 
> Ad


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